Thinking of Becoming a Travel Agent? Read on

When most people decide to enter the travel industry, they do so for one reason - benefits. Admittedly, benefits are great, but there are so many more aspects to being a travel agent. If you are considering this profession, let me give you an overview of the nature of the work of a travel agent. I'll also give you an idea about the working conditions of the job, training and schooling qualifications, advancement opportunities, salaries and average earnings, and of course talk about the perks.

Nature of the work:

With the wide variety of travel options, packages and fluctuating prices that are available to consumers today, someone looking to plan a vacation for their family or a business trip can get very overwhelmed. This is where a travel agent can come in handy. Not only travelers but also major cruise lines, resorts and specialty travel groups all use travel agents each year to promote their various trip packages, promotions and sales.

Travel agents generally give advice on trip planning. This can get more complicated than it sounds. Not only do they offer advice about the destinations, they also need to be able to make arrangements for transportation, hotel accommodations, car rentals and optional tour add-ons. They can also sometimes give opinions on restaurants, tourist's attractions and recreational activities to visit while in different destinations. Travel agents that are dealing internationally also need to know information on customs regulations, required paperwork (passports, visa, etc.) and currency exchange rates.

Travel agents use a multitude of different computer based resources in their day to day activities. These programs are used to find out departure and arrival times of flights, fares, live availability, and hotel amenities and ratings. They make evaluations on hotels, restaurants and resorts based upon their cleanliness, comforts, amenities and quality of service. They can also get this information by paying a visit to various destinations or from the recommendations of fellow agents and even former clients.

Travel agencies, depending on the size of a company, can specialize in either a particular type of travel, such as business or leisure, or even a particular destination for instance domestic travel, Europe, the Caribbean etc. Many agencies also have specialty programs or classes designed for their agents to hone in their skills on one particular destination or product. This could consist of classes, familiarizations trips, sales quotas, reports or even tests. With this kind of knowledge, when a client comes in looking for that particular destination or product, a specialist will be available to work with them. This can greatly increase their client base and some agencies even offer awards or special titles along with the completion of these programs.

Travel agents promote their services by using direct mail (snail mail), Internet, and telemarketing. Part of the job is not only having the knowledge of the product but also making presentations to the public, creating advertisements and displays, and always having suggestions for new trip packages or ideas. The thing to keep in mind is that this is a sales position. The agents have to be able to market and sell their product. Good people skills always a must as you will be primarily dealing with the public. Word of mouth is huge in this business. It is one of those jobs where if you do well your clients tell 5 people, and if you make a mistake they tell 55 people. Your hours accommodate your clientele and therefore long hours may be in order frequently. With all the available options online, you want to make your client WANT to come to you for advice. You have to establish a connection and a trust, so that your clientele base will continue to grow.

Working Conditions:

Travel agents spend most of their time behind a desk. This time will be spent contacting and confirming with customers, booking reservations, filling out paperwork, doing lots of online research, conferring with airlines and hotels and promoting tour groups. In short, a lot of time on the phone and computer. As I mentioned above, people skills are one of your biggest assets in this business. If you know how to talk to people, you will get them to understand your product and your chance of sales will be much greater.

Vacations and holidays are almost always just the opposite for a travel agent. These are peak travel times and agents can be under great deal of stress during these times. Most agencies do not allow their employees to travel during the holidays, as this is when the most problems tend to arise. This is something else to keep in mind if you have a family. As I said before, you may have set hours, but that doesn't necessarily mean that those are the only hours you will work. Many agents put in lots of overtime, especially over the holidays and are rarely out of work when their shift is over.

Most agencies are in an office type setting and the overall tone of the work environment is business. There are constantly phones ringing, people talking, haggling and possibly even angry customers yelling. At first, if you are not used to that kind of environment, it takes some adjusting to your ears. Some people find it difficult to pay attention to the person who is sitting in front of them talking, when there is someone directly on the side of them joking with a client over the phone.

Some travel agents have the capability to work from home. These agents, who are self-employed, have to have access to all of the advanced computer systems that are used in agencies today. This is a very large investment and may not see the best return. Many smaller agencies are being bought out by larger, corporate run ones because they cannot compete with rising costs and the threat of the internet.

Training and Schooling Qualifications:

Most companies send their prospective employees to some sort of a training course. This will most likely consist of computer training, learning about destinations and some sales help as well. The trainings are short and intense with a lot of information thrown at you. This is done with the intent that you will also learn your own methods as you go in the every day setting of the job.

As far as prior education goes, there are some colleges and universities that offer Travel Certificate programs, certifications in just the computer courses, classes in sales and even Associate or Bachelor's degrees in Travel Management. All of this will help in your consideration for a position with a travel agency. The most highly considered previous employment history would include customer service, sales and general public based jobs.

Salaries and Average Earnings:

For the most part travel agents are put on a salary of anywhere between 25K and 40K per year. That is an average and doesn't include bonuses, commissions, overtime or any other additional wages that may be available to earn.

Commissions are a big part of this job because it is a sales position. Many agencies pay their agents commissions based on either the amount of the sale or the amount that the agency profits. This amount could be a set dollar amount or a percentage. This commission structure is designed to make the agents want to push for higher sales volume and more add-on features. The more you make for the agency, the more you make for yourself. This is a very driven position, as is all sales work. It takes a lot of dedication.

Bonuses may or may not be awarded in response to particularly high sales volume, the selling of a certain destination, or by winning contests. One thing that can help with these is the selling of insurance, for example. Most agencies offer a bonus for employees that keep their percentage of insurance sales above a certain amount. Insurance is an easy add-on to any sale and can boost your profits up a lot. Another way is by pushing certain companies or destinations. A particular hotel chain or tourist bureau may put up a contest to see who can promote them and get the most sales volume in a given period of time. The prize could be cash or even a free stay.

Overtime in this type of position can be tricky. Many companies offer their employees time and a half for any hours put in over their normal salaried hours. This is not always the case in a sales position. Because you are a sales person, it is assumed that if you are in the office over your normally scheduled hours (40 in most cases) it is because you are working on a sale. Getting this sale will most likely mean profit for the company and commission for you. So beware. The company may not pay a good hourly rate for overtime if they pay at all!

And Of Course, the Perks:

Ahh the glamorous benefits of working in the travel industry! Jet setting all over the world once a month to exotic destinations with a bunch of your peers for a fraction of the regular price, if not less… if not free!

Uhhh… no.

Yes, you will get to travel more than the average person and yes it will be cheaper then it should be, but no, it is not free and no, it is not all fun and games. Yes, it's hard not to be smiling when you're hanging out in the Bahamian Straw Market under the beautiful sun, while it's snowing back home. But keep in mind that this is work. You will be sent on trips periodically to review destinations, hotels, restaurants and attractions. But you aren't there just to enjoy it. You have to study it, analyze it. Anything good? Anything bad? Anything worth seeing at all? On these trips, usually called Familiarizations trips, or FAMs, you will be expected to dress professionally (yes, even if it is 116 degrees and humid as hell), make contacts (no, you don't have any idea what he just said) and report on every property that you are shown. And we're not talking visit a hotel, check out a room and go relax on the beach for the rest of the day. Your days start early, break for lunch and continue way past dinner. You can see twenty hotels in one day in some destinations, and that means inspecting the rooms, the lobby, the restaurants, the pools, the spas, the casinos, the concierge room and more. You have to make sure it is up to health codes, safety regulations and most importantly is it all that it claims to be?

As far as discounts on regular vacation travel, this is where the real benefits lie. No, this will not be free either, but many resorts and hotel chains will offer agents complimentary nights, free room upgrades, added amenities and a little extra generosity just to make sure you go back and sell, sell, sell their product! And don't be afraid to flaunt the fact that you are in the travel industry. You may not want to talk business during your entire vacation, but it helps to make contacts in the business. You may meet someone who is willing to trade advice on other destinations that you haven't visited or someone who specializes in an area that you are not quite as familiar with. Who knows? You could even make new clients while vacationing!

While the travel industry definitely has a lot to offer the right person, it is very important to understand that this is an ever changing industry. It takes a lot of energy to keep up with new policies, destinations, methods, laws, trends and not to mention current affairs. As with all job searching, be sure to do lots of research first and be positive that you are a good fit before entering the business. Good luck!